NFIB/NY on Gallup Survey: Big Govt. Model Isn't Working

Date: May 02, 2014

Albany (May
2, 2014) – A new Gallup
Survey showing that more than four in 10 New Yorkers want to move should
force policymakers in Albany to rethink what they’re doing, said the National Federation of Independent Business
(NFIB) today.

“New York
has a government program for every problem, a regulation for every business, a
trial lawyer on every corner and the highest taxes in America,” said NFIB State Director Mike Durant. “The result is that more New Yorkers than
Alaskans plan to relocate. Something is
wrong with this picture.”

According
to the survey, 41 percent of residents would leave New York if they could. A plurality of those would leave for work or
business-related reasons, according to Gallup.

“That tells
us that the Big Government Model isn’t working,” said Durant. “New York isn’t producing enough
opportunities to keep New Yorkers here.
We’ve had more out-migration over the last 10 years than any state in
America and this survey indicates that the exodus isn’t close to slowing down.”

Durant said
that while Governor Cuomo has nudged the state in the right direction with
targeted tax breaks for certain businesses, there’s a lot more that needs to be
done to keep New Yorkers home.

“The
natural gas industry is creating unprecedented prosperity in some states and
New York has made a policy decision to let our own resources remain
underground,” he said. “New York’s
Scaffold Law is a one-of-a-kind racket for trial lawyers that is killing
construction and robbing taxpayers, and nobody in Albany has the stomach for
reform.”

Durant said
that on taxes, New York should stop nibbling around the edges and make it
possible for everyone who earns a paycheck to keep more of their money.

“Most small
business owners pay income taxes, not corporate taxes, and New York has one of
the highest income taxes in the country.
The best way to make New York more attractive for middle class families
and middle class entrepreneurs is to let them keep the money they earn.”

Durant
noted that in addition to economic opportunities, people in the Gallup survey
listed various other reasons for wanting to relocate, including family,
weather, quality of life and change. No
one, apparently, is yearning for the cradle-to-grave, Nanny State government
that slurps up so much money and prevents economic growth.

“If big
government were popular New York would have to build a wall to keep people
out,” said Durant. “But the truth is
that New Yorkers have a different vision, and they’re leaving to find it
somewhere else.”